


Anything for Love

by vix_spes



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-10
Updated: 2013-09-10
Packaged: 2017-12-26 05:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/961935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They agreed to get married as friends, promising themselves that they would hide their true feelings. But true feelings can never remain silent…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anything for Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kitty_fic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitty_fic/gifts).



> Written for the following prompt: Arthur has to the age of ? to get married. He asks his best friend to marry him in name only. They end up falling in love and having sex (or maybe they’ve always been secretly in love) or maybe they are forced to prove they have consummated the relationship. But when they do and Merlin gets pregnant – it complicates matters entirely!
> 
> Huge thanks to blue_eyed_1987 for beta-ing … all remaining mistakes are my own and thedragonsinger for cheerleading. Set during the canon era but AU as Merlin and Hunith have always lived in Camelot, Morgana isn’t Uther’s daughter and very few of the recognisable knights exist.

 

~*~

**Eighteen years ago…**  
  
“He’s so little…” Camelot’s young prince, barely three and a half years old himself, looked on in amazement at his new nanny’s young son.  
  
“He is, but that it is to be expected Prince Arthur; Merlin is only a few months old. I have it on good authority that you were nearly as small when you were the same age.”  
  
Hunith watched with a soft smile on her face as Arthur’s face, still chubby with baby fat, was wreathed in smiles as he held out a finger and it was immediately grasped in Merlin’s iron grip.  
  
“He’s strong!” Arthur marvelled and then giggled as Merlin dragged his finger, still encased in Merlin’s fist, into his mouth.  
  
“He is and he obviously likes you.”  
  
“I like him too. We’re going to be best friends and nothing will split us up. Ever.”  
  
Hunith couldn’t help but laugh at that. Really, Prince Arthur could be awfully sweet when he wanted to be and other than a couple of minor tantrums, which had been easily resolved, she had seen no evidence of the brat that people had told her about.  
  
“That’s a lovely idea Arthur but it can’t happen. You’re the Prince of Camelot; your father is going to want you to marry a Princess or a Lady someday and then you’ll be King.”  
  
“Why a Princess or a Lady? They’re boring.”  
  
“That’s what’s expected of you.”  
  
“Can’t I marry Merlin instead?”  
  
Hunith didn’t have the heart to tell Arthur ‘no’; not when he seemed so happy babbling about how he would marry Merlin and then they could be together forever

~*~

**Nine years ago….**  
  
Merlin squeaked as he was nearly squashed by Arthur flopping down on top of him, the noise causing enough of a disturbance that they froze immediately for fear of being caught. Their antics drew the gaze of a suspicious stable boy but they obviously ducked down enough that he couldn’t see them. The minute that he was occupied, Merlin turned to Arthur and glared as best as he was able.  
  
“ _Arthur!_ What do you think you’re doing? Aren’t you supposed to be down there with your father greeting the new guests?”  
  
“It’s only old Gorlois and his daughter Morgana; it doesn’t matter if I’m there or not.”  
  
Merlin shot him a sideways glance, not entirely believing the latter part of the sentence but willing to let it slide. “Isn’t Morgana the one who beat you at swordplay last time they were here?” He did his best not to grin as Arthur scowled at him.  
  
“Can we not talk about that _Mer_ lin.”  
  
“Whatever you say Arthur,” Merlin was silent for a while before he piped up again. “Aren’t there quite a few lords and Kings here with their daughters at the moment?”  
  
His question was received with silence from Arthur and Merlin looked over several minutes later. “Arthur?”  
  
“Father is meeting with them to discuss the possibility of my marrying one of them.”  
  
“But, but you don’t know any of them. How can you be in love with them?”  
  
“I don’t have to love them Merlin, I’m the Crown Prince of Camelot. Father says that I have to marry to ensure that the Pendragon’s continue to rule Camelot.”  
  
“But that’s so unfair!” Merlin’s bottom lip was quivering in outrage. “You should be able to marry someone that you like. Do you never imagine who you’re going to marry?” Merlin looked confused as Arthur burst out laughing. “Why are you laughing Arthur?”  
  
“Do you know who I always said that I was going to marry Merlin? You. When you were born, I said that we would be friends forever, that nothing was ever going to split us up. Your mum laughed at me and said I was very sweet but that wasn’t possible because we’d have to marry other people eventually. I said that I would just marry you.”  
  
Merlin’s head whipped around so fast that Arthur was amazed that he didn’t break his neck. “What?”  
  
“When I was about five, maybe even younger, I was convinced that I would marry you.”  
  
There was a long pause and Arthur was afraid that he’d pushed Merlin away before Merlin finally spoke.  
  
“Why don’t you marry me?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Why don’t you marry? At least then you would be married to someone that you like, even if we don’t love each other like that.”  
  
“How would it work though?”  
  
“Well, how about if you haven’t found a princess or a lady that you can love by the time your father makes you his heir officially then we’ll get married.”  
  
“Isn’t that unfair on you though?”  
  
Merlin just shrugged and blushed to the tips of his ears as Arthur gave him a one-armed hug.  
  
Later that day, when he had been discovered hiding and was supposed to be having his lessons in swordplay, Arthur couldn’t help but replay the conversation that he had had with Merlin over and over again. He could have kicked himself for having brought up the whole marriage subject with Merlin but then somehow it had taken a turn for the better. In fact, he couldn’t believe the turn that it had taken; he couldn’t have imagined it better. Merlin, his Merlin (because Arthur was nothing but possessive), had said that if Arthur hadn’t fallen in love with someone and wanted to marry them by the time he was named Crown Prince then Merlin would marry him. All Arthur had to do was ensure that, when the time came, Merlin _did_ marry him.  
  
Recently, Arthur, along with several other lads of a similar age from noble families who were being fostered in Camelot, had reached a certain age where they had been forced to endure a rather awkward and uncomfortable lecture from Gaius. All of them still shuddered at the thought of it but it had been necessary. They had been aware of the fact that their bodies were changing and that they were starting to take an interest in the opposite sex (Bess the laundry maid was a popular choice) for some time and it had been beneficial for them to hear something other than the ribald commentary from the older knights. Still, as attractive as Bess was, she didn’t tickle Arthur’s fancy. He found his eyes drawn more towards the older fosterlings more than any of the buxom laundry maids or tavern wenches. His eyes were actually drawn to Merlin more than anybody else and, when he started waking with sticky sheets and flushed with the memories of his dreams, it had been Merlin who had been the starring character.  
  
The only downside was that Arthur was fairly certain that Merlin had only offered to marry him out of friendship rather than love. That wasn’t the end of the world though; they were still only young. Arthur had plenty of time to get Merlin to fall in love with him

~*~

**Present day…**  
  
“Merlin? Are you in here?” Arthur poked his head around the door of Gaius’ chamber, hoping that his errant best friend would be hiding in his mentor’s workroom, wrinkling his nose at the smell. Even after so many years hanging around in this very room, he still wasn’t used to the scents in the air.  
  
“Arthur?” Merlin’s head popped up from behind a workbench in the far corner. “What brings you down here?”  
  
“I need to talk to you about something important. Are you busy or can you go for a ride with me?”  
  
“If you go and saddle the horses while I finish this then I can meet you down there and get away for a couple of hours. Does that work?”  
  
“It does,” Arthur gave a relieved smile. “Thank you Merlin.” Despite his relief that he could talk to Merlin about this immediately, Arthur couldn’t help but feel nervous at the prospect of having this conversation with Merlin. It was all his father’s fault (and Morgana’s he supposed for having married Gwaine, the oldest son of the King Lot of Orkney). If only he hadn’t been born a prince; this would have been so much easier if he hadn’t.  


_***FLASHBACK***_

  
“Father? You wanted to see me?” Arthur stepped into the throne room to see that his father was all alone, not surrounded by his usual gaggle of advisors.  
  
“Arthur, yes come in. I need to talk to you.” Uther waited until Arthur had closed the door behind him and taken a seat in front of Uther before he spoke again. “Not that you’ve reached your twenty-first birthday and been crowned Crown Prince of Camelot, it’s time for you to take a wife. You will have until your twenty-second birthday to marry.”  
  
“What? But … father!”  
  
“You can protest all you like Arthur, I will not change my mind. This unwritten rule has held fast for many generations and it will not change now. I had married Ygraine by my twenty-second birthday and the same with my father and mother before me.”  
  
“But…”  
  
“You will be married by your twenty-second birthday and I will give you leave to choose your spouse. It’s just a shame that Morgana is married to that boy from Orkney; it would have been useful to have strengthened our alliance with Gorlois.”  
  
As Uther’s musings tailed off, Arthur’s brain caught onto the particular wording that his father had used. “Father? Can I just clarify that you are allowing me to choose my own spouse?”  
  
“Hmm? Yes, yes of course. I’m sorry Arthur; I have duties to attend to. We’ll talk later.”  
  
Arthur stood and dipped his head, recognising the dismissal for what it was. His mind was already working at lightning speed to work within the parameters of his father’s vague language.  


_***END FLASHBACK***_

  
Despite drifting off into a bit of a daydream, Arthur still had two horses saddled and ready to go, a saddlebag with skins of water and a few apples slung over the flanks of his horse, by the time that Merlin made it down to the stables. No doubt he had got caught up in another task and had assumed, quite rightly, that Arthur wouldn’t mind too much. With anybody else, Arthur would undoubtedly find it irritating but with Merlin it had never been anything but endearing. Then again, having grown up in Camelot, Merlin had always walked to the beat of his own drum. Neither of them spoke as they rode, simply riding automatically for a glade in the forest that they had considered to be theirs even since they had discovered it about ten years ago.  


_***FLASHBACK***_

  
It had been one of _those_ days. One of the days that came around every year without fail and a day that Arthur had dreaded ever since he was old enough to understand what it meant. The day in question was the day of Ygraine’s death. Arthur hated it because, not only was it the day that his mother died but, it also had a tendency to overshadow his birthday which was a mere one day prior. Arthur hated it. It wasn’t merely the fact that it overshadowed his birthday and, as a result, his father never wanted to celebrate Arthur’s birthday with him. It was the fact that he didn’t have a mother anymore and, for those days or week every year, he had a father who was even more distant than usual. He was better off now than he had been at first; at least now he had Hunith. Hunith was amazing. She told brilliant stories about knights and dragons, she gave wonderful hugs and she was the reason that Arthur now had Merlin but that was also the problem. Hunith was Merlin’s mum, not Arthur’s, and nothing was going to change that.  
  
Another problem was that Arthur had no memories of his mother at all. Ygraine was just a fairytale to him. She had died one day after Arthur’s birth and very few people in Camelot dared to mention her for fear of angering Uther. And of course Ygraine’s family had blamed Uther (and indirectly Arthur) for her death, refusing to have any further contact with either of them. There were a couple of exceptions in Camelot who were willing to break Uther’s unofficial decree that Ygraine not be mentioned, notably Gaius, Geoffrey of Monmouth and two rather grizzled knights who had been Ygraine’s personal guards, Sir Bors and Sir Gereint. The only thing was, there was only so much that they could tell him. For more details, he would have to ask Uther.  
  
It hadn’t gone well.  
  
For all of his faults as a father, Uther had never hit Arthur, had never raised a hand to him. He had simply been distant and incapable of demonstrating his love and pride. This time, too wrapped in grief and depression that had been fuelled by a combination of too much time left alone with his thoughts and too much alcohol, while he hadn’t hit Arthur, Uther had raised his hand. Arthur hadn’t waited around any longer and had fled the room, running straight to Merlin. In what hadn’t been Arthur’s brightest idea, although in his defence he had only been ten years old, he had convinced Merlin to run away with him.  
  
In reality, they hadn’t made it very far before they were exhausted, although they probably made it further than people would have expected a ten year old and a six and a half year old to get just by walking. They had made it as far as the glade before they had stopped, legs aching and desperate for water. The two of them had settled at the base of a tree, Merlin cuddling close as though he sense Arthur had needed the comfort. He had listened to Arthur talk himself out before the two of them simply fell asleep, not realising the uproar they had caused, finally being found by Sir Bors and Sir Gereint well after dusk. Since then, the glade had been their go-to place when they needed to escape from Camelot.  
  
Quite simply, the glade was theirs.  


_***END FLASHBACK***_

  
Once they had arrived at the glade, tethering the horses so that they could graze and settling themselves so that they were sat with their legs immersed up to their knees in the cool water, Merlin continued to stay quiet giving Arthur time to collect his thoughts before he spoke. That was just one of the things that Arthur loved about Merlin, and there were a lot more. Because therein lay yet another problem with this situation; Arthur was in love with Merlin and had been for a long time.  
  
It was the reason that Arthur had made a point of ensuring that his father had said that he needed to take a spouse and not a wife. At least not after the first use of the word. Wife would mean that he had to marry some vapid princess or lady from amongst his father’s sycophantic cronies whilst spouse meant that he could marry merlin. Although Arthur couldn’t help but feel that, if Merlin agreed to this, he was essentially trapping Merlin into a marriage that he didn’t truly want to be a part of. The likelihood that Merlin could actually remember his offer was slim; they had only been children after all. The likelihood that Merlin loved Arthur or felt anything more than friendship was even slimmer, probably non-existent. Still, being married to Merlin who felt nothing for Arthur but friendship was better than marrying some woman that he couldn’t stand the sight of, even if he would feel horribly guilty. Not really knowing what to say in the slightest, never mind even start the conversation, Arthur did what he did best when it came to Merlin; he blurted everything out.  
  
“Do you remember us having a conversation ten years ago when I said that I would have to marry whoever he wanted me to in order to forge alliances for Camelot?” Merlin made a soft noise of acknowledgment but Arthur ploughed ahead before he could really say anything properly. “I don’t suppose you remember that at the same time you also said that, should my father force me to get married, you would marry me?”  
  
“Yes, I remember saying that but why are you bringing it up now? Arthur, what’s going on?”  
  
“My father summoned me to the throne room this morning where he proceeded to inform me that I have until my next birthday to find myself a spouse as that is the Pendragon way.”  
  
“I assume that spouse is the word that he specifically used seeing as you’re asking me?”  
  
This was another thing that Arthur loved about Merlin; his ability to cut through the minutiae and get straight to the point. Arthur may call him an idiot quite a lot of the time and God knows, Merlin could play the role when he wanted to but the truth was that Merlin was far from being an idiot. He may not be of noble blood but, having grown up in Camelot as Arthur’s closest friend, he was a child of the court nonetheless. In fact, Arthur was convinced that Merlin was perfectly suited to the role of royal consort. It was only when Merlin punched him in the shoulder that Arthur realised he had gotten a bit too carried away imagining Merlin as the royal consort, especially if Merlin had chosen to resort to hitting Arthur; casual punches and headlocks were Arthur’s chosen ways of showing affection after years spent training with the knights, something that Merlin had always derided.  
  
“What was that for?” He whined, rubbing his arm in the hope of getting some sympathy. He didn’t get any of course.  
  
“Don’t be a girl Arthur, you’re always saying that Morgana hits harder than me.”  
  
“Yeah well, Morgana hits harder than half of my knights. Gwaine’s a brave man to marry her; I wouldn’t want to.”  
  
“I like her but you’re right, she is scary when she wants to be. Now, are you going to answer my question? Did your father specifically say spouse of did he say wife?”  
  
“He definitely said spouse, the word wife was only mentioned once. The only other thing was that he was disappointed Morgana had already married Gwaine.”  
  
There was a pause and Arthur knew that Merlin was running everything over in his head. The problem was, Arthur wasn’t good at waiting for answers; he had a tendency to babble. And that was exactly what he proceeded to do. Babble.  
  
“I mean, it doesn’t have to be a proper marriage. I’m not going to force you into that. Well, it does have to be a proper marriage in that there would be a ceremony in Camelot in front of all of the nobles and you would be named royal consort. You’d have to attend sessions of court and a whole host of other things that would be expected of you. But, um, well, you wouldn’t be expected to um, you know, consummate the marriage. I wouldn’t expect that of you. It would be a marriage in name only. We’d be married but our relationship would stay exactly as it is now.”  
  
Arthur wanted to say more, he _needed_ to say more but he didn’t know what to say so he simply stayed silent. Finally, a smile appeared on Merlin’s face; the sincere one that, ninety percent of the time, was reserved for Arthur alone.  
  
“In which case, _Prince Arthur_ , I believe you have a question that you need to ask me.”  
  
It took Arthur a few seconds to understand what Merlin had said and for it to sink in. Not caring that he wasn’t being particularly graceful, he scrambled to one knee and tried not to laugh at the shock in Merlin’s wide eyes.  
  
“Merlin Emrys, would you do me the honour of marrying me and becoming my royal consort?”  
  
“Arthur Pendragon, it would be my pleasure.”  


(~*~)

  
That evening, ensconced in the privacy of the little out-of-the-way chambers that had been his since he had grown too old to share his mothers and which had also been given to him by virtue of his position as apprentice to both Gaius and Geoffrey, Merlin proceeded to have a minor breakdown over what he had agreed to do. It wasn’t that he regretted agreeing to marry Arthur. Far from it. The problem was, Merlin didn’t know how he was going to deal with marrying Arthur and living within a marriage that was a marriage in name only. The problem lay in the fact that Merlin actually did love Arthur and loved him as more than a friend. In the privacy of his own rooms, in his dreams, Merlin had always fantasised about marrying Arthur Pendragon and becoming the Prince Consort of Camelot. What he hadn’t envisaged was that he would get what he wanted but without love being involved. Well, it was involved but it was platonic love only and not the deep-seated romantic and white-hot passionate love that Merlin had always dreamt about. Still, he supposed that what he was getting was better than nothing. All he had to do was tell his mother and Gaius which wasn’t going to be the easiest thing he had ever done. It could be worse though; he could be the one who had to tell the King.  


~*~

  
“I’m sorry; I don’t think I heard you correctly.” Uther’s voice had taken on the quiet, deadly tone that spelled disaster for the recipient. Anybody else would be backtracking furiously while attempting to remove themself from Uther’s presence as quickly as possible. Arthur wasn’t anybody else though.  
  
“Father, I specifically checked the wording with you when you told me that I was allowed to choose my own spouse. You stated emphatically that I was allowed to choose my own spouse and I have done precisely that. I have chosen Merlin.”  
  
“But, but he’s a MAN!” Uther coughed and spluttered, his face turning a rather unflattering shade of purple. “How are you going to consummate the marriage and provide heirs to the throne? It is your duty to ensure that the Pendragon line will continue to sit on the throne of Camelot. I forbid you to marry that boy.”  
  
“You can’t forbid me from marrying him Father. I will marry him with or without your approval; I am of age and, prince of Camelot or not, I do not need to ask your permission. There is nothing in the laws of Camelot that prevents either the King or any future King from marrying a man. I have proposed to Merlin and he has accepted. We shall start preparations immediately and be married by the summer solstice.”  
  
Arthur didn’t bother to wait for his father to respond, he simply strode out of the hall intent on finding some of the knights in the hopes of taking out his frustrations on a couple of hapless new recruits. He had done as his father wanted over his own desires far too often in the past and he had no intentions of doing so now, even though it didn’t sit quite right with him.  
  
He needed to get rid of his frustrations with a sword and then he needed to find Merlin.  


~*~

  
Merlin looked at himself in the mirror as his mum and Gaius fussed around him and barely recognised the person staring back at him. Things seemed to have passed in a blur ever since news of the engagement between he and Arthur had been formally announced to the people of Camelot. Even though he had made the announcement himself, Uther still hadn’t been too happy about the fact that Arthur was marrying Merlin but Arthur had inherited his stubbornness from his father and had refused to back down from his decision despite the begging, threatening and attempted bribery from Uther. There had been grumbles of discontent from members of court as well, mostly cronies of Uther who were of the opinion that Arthur should be marrying a princess or a lady in order to strengthen Camelot’s alliances. Still, the news had been met with great delight amongst the friends of both Arthur and Merlin, the knights and the ordinary people of Camelot.  
  
As soon as the announcement had been made, preparations for the ceremony began with both Arthur and Merlin doing their very best to stay out of the details unless they were asked for a definitive answer. They didn’t want a big ceremony or a huge celebration, even though both were expected as it was a Royal wedding because they knew the truth; this was as far from a real wedding as they could get. Their clothes had been taken care of by Morgana, who had swanned in from Orkney, a grinning Gwaine at her side, announcing that she wouldn’t miss this for the world. Every other detail had been taken care of by courtiers and overseen by Hunith who, even though she hadn’t completely agreed with Merlin’s reasoning, had supported he and Arthur all the way. She appeared at his shoulder now, wearing a new dress like nothing Merlin had ever seen her in but still very much his mum.  
  
“It’s time. They’re ready for you.

 

(~*~)

  
The ceremony and the feast that followed went past in a blur for Merlin. He didn’t remember giving his responses to the words Geoffrey spoke but judging by the kiss that he received from Arthur and the fact that a golden circlet very similar to Arthur’s rested on his brow, he had obviously said the correct words and he was now married Arthur.  
  
There had been a lavish feast accompanied by prodigious amounts of alcohol, speeches from Uther and Leon, dancing and the same sort of entertainment that was seen at the Yule Feast. Merlin enjoyed himself, of course he did, as he sat next to his new husband at the top table and danced with him followed by Morgana, a cheekily grinning Gwaine and a whole host of others including his mother but there was a little voice in the back of his head that whispered he would enjoy this much more if this were a _real_ wedding. As the newlyweds rose from the table in order to retire for the evening, a huge cacophony arose from the benches where Arthur’s knights were sat; wolf-whistles, catcalls, jeering, goblets knocked on the tables and foot stamping. Arthur took it good-naturedly, grinning widely and rolling his eyes at some of the more ribald comments from Gwaine but Merlin could feel himself blushing so much that his ears were bright red and his face was probably the same colour as the knights cloaks.  
  
They could still hear the celebrations several corridors away as Merlin allowed himself to be tugged along by the grip that Arthur had on his hand. This was the part of the evening that Merlin had been dreading the most; the part where this was real, where he and Arthur were married and not only would they be sharing the rest of their lives together but they would be sharing a bed as well. They had a very awkward conversation about sleeping arrangements a while back and had discussed whether or not they could get away with not sharing a bed before realising that it would be too easy for them to get caught if they didn’t. They had come to the conclusion that they had no choice but to share a bed and they would just cope. After all, they had shared a bed plenty of times when they were younger and Arthur’s current four-poster bed was obscenely large.  
  
What they hadn’t expected when they arrived at Arthur’s chambers was to be met by Uther and a select few of his inner council. When questioned, they were informed that, due to reservations about the marriage and the legitimacy of the feelings involved, the council would be present in the bedroom to ensure that the marriage was consummated and that said reservations could be laid to rest. Merlin was too shocked to say anything but Arthur protested vocally only to have all of his objections overruled with it being pointed out that it had been a precedent in years past, primarily to ensure that any heirs were genuine. Left with absolutely no choice, they entered the bedroom both of them unhappy with what they were about to be forced to do. Something that they had both hoped might happen one day was going to happen but not through their choice and not in a situation that they were comfortable. Instead of it being something private, something between the two of them, they were going to have an audience even though Arthur had managed to negotiate that they would have a modicum of privacy guaranteed by the sheer drapes surrounding Arthur’s bed.  
  
Not too long after the marriage had been consummated, after they had been left in privacy at last by a satisfied council, the two of them lay curled together with Arthur’s arms wrapped around Merlin’s skinny shoulders. They had intended on spending the night on opposite sides of the bed but after what they had just been forced to go through, they both needed the company. As Merlin shuddered, Arthur instinctively pulled him closer, bending his head so that his mouth was near Merlin’s ear.  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t apologise, it wasn’t your fault.”  
  
“But…”  
  
“It wasn’t your fault Arthur.”  
  
What more could they say? None of this was going to plan. All they could do was hope that things didn’t get any worse.  


~*~

  
In the wake of their marriage, Arthur’s duties had changed very little from what they had been previously. He was still in charge of the Knights of Camelot and trained with them every day as well as taking part in several patrols each week although the organisation of said patrols was left in Leon’s capable hands. In addition, there was some paperwork that his father expected him to take care of, he had council meetings to attend and open court to sit in on to hear petitions from the citizens of Camelot. All in all, for Arthur married life wasn’t very different to when he had been single except for, well, the fact that he was married.  
  
For Merlin, it was a completely different story. He may have spent his whole life as Arthur’s best friend and closest confidante but in those roles he had been allowed to take a back seat and fly under the radar somewhat. He wasn’t a noble but then neither was he treated as a commoner either. All of that changed on the day that he and Arthur exchanged their marriage vows. Even though there wasn’t yet a true role for Merlin and neither would there be until Arthur took the throne as King of Camelot, he was still expected to learn.  
  
For Merlin, that ended up being given a seat on several councils and sitting in on open court sessions with Arthur. Were he female, Merlin could expect to spend time with ladies-in-waiting doing needlework or whatever it was that women did (unless you were Morgana) but he was not and the offer for him to join the knights had been unequivocally shot down by both Merlin and Arthur. Both of them had been adamant that Merlin could handle a sword well enough; he no longer dropped it instantly and could defend himself adequately thanks to Leon being an infinitely more patient teacher than Arthur had been. He was never going to be the swordsman that Arthur was but that didn’t matter, that was what Arthur was for. It didn’t take long before a compromise was reached that even Uther was happy with. Merlin would attend open court and council meetings with Arthur as they had already agreed and the rest of his time would be split equally between Gaius and Geoffrey of Monmouth training in both of their professions as he had been for several years already. Both men would have to find new apprentices given that it was inevitable that Merlin would become Royal Consort with all that entailed at some point in the future. Still, it was better than him spending all of his days doing nothing much.  
  
It was all going wonderfully well with very few mishaps until, several weeks after the wedding, Arthur started to be more than a little concerned about the health and well-being of his new spouse. Merlin had always been pale but now he was paler than blank parchment all of the time and he was always tired, practically falling asleep in his dinner on several occasions when he and Arthur dined privately in their chambers. When questioned about it, Merlin merely brushed it off saying that he was simply getting used to his new duties and that it would pass. Only it didn’t, it got worse. In addition to the pallid complexion and the fatigue, Merlin started feeling nauseous constantly and throwing up at all hours of the day. Still he refused Arthur’s requests that he go to Gaius. The symptoms had been occurring for a few weeks when the decision was taken out of Merlin’s hands when he fainted in the lower town and was carried to Gaius’ by Sir Kay, whereupon Arthur, hurriedly summoned from a meeting with his father, demanded every conceivable test be carried out.

 

~*~

  
Merlin fumbled a hand out blindly, managing to grip the back of a chair before sinking down into it. He couldn’t quite believe the words that had just come out of Gaius’ mouth. He didn’t want to believe them because, if Gaius was right and they were true, he didn’t know what he was going to do. Arthur had sent him to the physician after being concerned that Merlin was looking exhausted and had been throwing up a considerable amount of the meals that he had been consuming, more than Arthur was comfortable with; he had been heard to complain that Merlin was getting skinnier than ever, something that shouldn’t be physically possible. The Crown Prince had been adamant that Merlin visit Gaius in an attempt to seek an explanation for his illness but, originally, Merlin had brushed off his concerns, simply stating that he was trying to adapt to his new duties as Arthur’s consort. His excuses had been believable, considering the fact that they had only recently married (and been forced to consummate said marriage) and that, as a result of their marriage, Uther had been passing more duties onto Arthur and Merlin. However, when the symptoms failed to disappear after a month, Arthur had forced Merlin to see Gaius and had stood there, arms crossed over his chest, as Merlin submitted to a whole battery of tests and questions.  
  
Now, he had been given the results of said tests (without Arthur who hadn’t been able to miss another afternoon) and couldn’t quite believe what he had been told. He had been expecting Gaius to confirm what he had self-diagnosed; that Merlin was exhausted and the symptoms had simply manifested themselves physically. He hadn’t been expecting this, not in the slightest. Taking deep breaths until he no longer felt like he was going to pass out as a result of shock, he got to his feet, ignoring his mum and Gaius’ attempts to make him stay seated.  
  
“How am I going to explain this to Arthur?” Merlin paced up and down his mother’s chambers, ignoring both her and Gaius’ attempts to get him to stand still, “How are we going to explain this to Uther? I’m pregnant!” Merlin paced up and down a bit more, raking his hands through his hair as he did so, “Gaius, are you absolutely positive that I’m pregnant? There can’t be a mistake?”  
  
“As positive as I can be my boy. There’s obviously no guarantee but all of the symptoms fit and your mother agrees with me. We estimate, given from what you’ve told us, you’re about six weeks pregnant.”  
  
“But, but … I’m a man!” Merlin practically wailed.  
  
“Of course you’re a man, there’s no disputing that. However, you are also the most powerful warlock that has ever lived and that must have something to do with it. None of us know the extent of your powers so why should any of us have expected you to be capable of something like this?”  
  
“But what about Uther? What do I tell him?”  
  
Hunith reached out and pulled Merlin down to sit next to her, wrapping her arms around him with a smile as he practically collapsed against her. Smoothing Merlin’s hair back, she pressed a kiss to his forehead before framing his face with her hands.  
  
“You let us worry about what we’re going to tell Uther. You focus on the important thing; telling your husband. This may be unexpected but you have been blessed. It is a time of joy, you focus on that.”  
  
“Is it a joy though?” Merlin winced as he felt his mum pull back. “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just I’m married to my best friend which is great. If you ignore the fact that I’ve been in love with him forever and we’re only married because I offered to marry him in name only so that he could be married to somebody he actually liked.” Merlin was starting to get agitated again. “And obviously, Arthur manages to get me pregnant even though we’ve only slept together once because he’s Arthur bloody Pendragon.”  
  
Merlin seemed to deflate when he had finished his rant, looking sorrowfully at his mother. “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to, I just …”  
  
“I know Merlin, it’s fine. You need to have a long conversation with Arthur. You need to tell him about the pregnancy but you need to tell him everything as well. Tell him how you feel. I promise that it will turn out for the best. There’s a lot of things that you don’t know. If you go now then he’ll just be finishing training with the knights and I’ll send dinner to your rooms so you won’t be disturbed.”  
  
Merlin nodded and leant in to kiss his mother on the cheek. “Okay, I’ll give it a go. It can’t be any worse than the ‘I’ve got magic’ conversation can it? Thank you Uncle Gaius.”  
  
“Not a problem, my boy. I’ll bring some things along in the morning that should help with the sickness at least. I doubt that either of you will want disturbing later.”

 

(~*~)

  
There was no sign of Arthur when Merlin made it back to the chambers that he shared with Arthur which meant that Arthur was either still training or was on his way back from training. Despite his confident words to his mother and uncle, Merlin was fairly certain that this was going to be at least as hard, if not harder, than the ‘I have magic’ conversation.  


_***FLASHBACK***_

  
Merlin panted harshly for breath as he raced after Arthur, both of them doing their best to keep ahead of the men that were chasing after them. This was not how Merlin had planned his day to go. It was a rare day off for him so he had been planning on finding a nice quiet corner to hide in with the newest tome on magic that Gaius had procured for him from somewhere. Only, Arthur had had an argument with his father over something and had dragged Merlin out of Camelot, needing to get some distance in order to clear his head.  
  
They had headed for their glade and had enjoyed a couple of hours sat in relative silence, eating their way through the food that Arthur had pilfered from the kitchens. Once Arthur’s foul mood dissipated, with no explanation other than the fact that his father was being his usual charming self, it had turned into a pleasant afternoon. And of course that was where everything went wrong. Merlin didn’t know how it happened but one minute they were laughing over something that had happened in training and the next they were surrounded by armed men.  
  
Bandits.  
  
At least that’s what Arthur yelled as they ran. Their horses had bolted of course which meant that if they were going to get back to Camelot then they would be doing it on foot. Arthur had his sword with him of course, he never went anywhere without it, but there was only so much that he could do by himself and especially when he was trying to protect both himself and Merlin. But there was only so much that he could do and before long, the only option that would allow both Arthur and Merlin to escape was to make a run for it. They had hoped that they had the advantage over the bandits considering that they had grown up exploring these woods whenever they could escape the citadel, not to mention their speed, but they had failed to take into account the determination and the longer legs of the men. All too soon, backed into a rocky gully with a series of caves attached, they realised that that wasn’t the case; they were going to have to come up with a different plan and Merlin knew that he was going to have to step up.  
  
At the urge of his mother and Gaius, Merlin had kept the knowledge that he had magic secret, even from Arthur. It hadn’t been easy, far from it, because Merlin hated having any secrets from Arthur but he simply didn’t know what Arthur’s views on magic were; he didn’t know if Arthur had his own views or if he had simply adopted his father’s. So, Merlin had practiced his magic in secret, aided by Gaius wherever he could. Nevertheless, it was becoming increasingly apparent that they weren’t going to get out of this situation without his magic. He was just going to have to hope that his magic was up to the challenge and that Arthur wasn’t going to hate him when this was all over. Arthur was trying to shield Merlin with his body but Merlin refused to be pushed aside and stepped forward, one hand outstretch.  
  
“Ástríce!”  
  
Merlin gasped as the spell worked and knocked out all but two of the bandits. The remaining two were dispatched with a hastily muttered,  
  
“Ahríes Þæc!”  
  
Then, Arthur’s hands were on his shoulders, shaking him, “Merlin, what the hell was that?”  
  
“I … um … erm … it was,”  
  
“Nevermind. You’re telling me as soon as we get back to Camelot. No excuses. We have to get out of here before they come back round.”  
  
All the way back to Camelot, Merlin felt sick to his stomach, dreading the minute when he had to explain things to Arthur. He didn’t know what he was going to say, he didn’t know what he was going to do and, more importantly, he didn’t know how Arthur was going to react.  
  
The minute that they returned to Camelot Merlin, who had seriously thought about running and hiding somewhere, found his wrist seized as Arthur dragged him away to his chambers. There was no way that Merlin was getting away with this. Arthur didn’t say a single word until they were in his chambers and the doors were locked behind them.  
  
“Well, Merlin? Are you going to explain what happened in the woods?”  
  
“Um … er…”  
  
“Because, unless I was imagining things, I saw your eyes flash gold and you say something in a strange language that knocked all of those bandits out. The only logical explanation is magic. So? Did you use magic Merlin?”  
  
“Yes.” There was no point denying it and Merlin knew that. He was just going to have to hope that Arthur would actually hear him out. “Yes, I used magic.”  
  
“How long?” The words were growled out, barely audible.  
  
“How long what?”  
  
“I don’t know, why don’t we start with how long have you been breaking the laws of Camelot? How long have you had magic? How long have you kept this a secret? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LYING TO ME?”  
  
Merlin flinched back at Arthur’s roar, genuinely scared of the man who was his best friend for a minute. “I’ve had magic all of my life Arthur. There has never been a time when I haven’t had it.”  
  
“So Hunith and Gaius know? You’ve all been lying to me? Keeping secrets from me?”  
  
“It’s not like that Arthur,” Merlin was pleading already, trying to get Arthur to calm down enough to actually listen to him. “Please, you have to believe me. I never wanted to keep this a secret from you.”  
  
“Then why did you?” In what seemed like a mere fraction of a second, all of the anger drained out of Arthur although he still kept his distance. “I don’t understand Merlin. You’ve always been my closest friend, why didn’t you tell me? Do you not trust me? Why couldn’t you tell me?”  
  
“Of course I trust you! You’re my closest friend as well and I’ve wanted to tell you for years.”  
  
“SO WHY DIDN’T YOU?” So maybe Arthur’s anger hadn’t disappeared completely.  
  
“I wanted to tell you but mum and Uncle Gaius told me not to. They said that the fewer people who knew about my … gifts, the better. It’s been so hard, keeping it a secret, not being able to tell you but they wanted to keep me safe.”  
  
“I don’t understand why you thought it was a good idea for you to learn magic while living in Camelot. You know what my father thinks about it. You could have been killed. You still could be killed!”  
  
Merlin’s heart-rate immediately rocketed. Was Arthur really going to tell Uther that Merlin had magic? After all they had done together? His fear obviously showed on his face and Arthur took a step forward, even as Merlin took a step back.  
  
“Merlin, I’m not going to tell my father.” Despite his words, there was a hint of _I won’t tell him yet_ , that Merlin thought he could detect to Arthur’s words and it left him feeling uneasy. “I’m not saying that I’m not still angry but I just want to understand. Why have you never said anything? Don’t you trust me?”  
  
“I’ve already said that I trust you Arthur, I trust you with my life! How was I supposed to tell you though? ‘By the way Arthur, I know we live in Camelot and magic is banned on pain of death, but I’ve got magic and I’ve been using it for years’. Would that have worked?”  
  
“It would have been a damn sight better than keeping it a secret from me!”  
  
“Would you have believed me though? Or would you have just laughed at me? I’ve had magic, I’ve been a warlock, for as long as I can remember Arthur, since I was born. Mum says that I used to make my toys levitate if I was bored. I’ve never known what it’s like to not have magic. I never wanted to keep it a secret from you though; I just never knew how to tell you.”  
  
“You mean you didn’t know if I had my own opinions on magic or if I’d adopted my father’s.” Arthur paused to take a deep breath. “Explain it to me again…”  
  
“You’re not going to tell your father?”  
  
There was a long pause. Long enough that it started to become uncomfortable but Merlin could see that this wasn’t an easy decision for Arthur and did his best to be patient, trying not to rush him. Finally, just as the tension was getting the best of Merlin, Arthur spoke again.  
  
“No, I’m not. You’re my best friend and I don’t understand why you kept this from me. I don’t understand how you can be born with magic but I want to try and understand. I don’t want to lose you Merlin.”  
  
Merlin didn’t say anything in response, simply allowing himself to be drawn over to the table and chairs where Arthur normally ate when he was in his rooms. He still felt more than a little uneasy but it was encouraging that Arthur hadn’t gone running straight to inform his father. Merlin had imagined what it would be like to tell Arthur about his magic many times over the years, normally with one of two results; either Arthur would respond positively and agree to keep Merlin’s secret or he would report Merlin and he would end up tied to a pyre in the central courtyard of Camelot.  
  
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that this outcome was a possibility. He might never have the relationship that he wanted with Arthur, that of lovers, but he may be able to salvage their friendship with the addition that Arthur knew about his magic. It was more than he had ever hoped for.  


_***END FLASHBACK***_

  
Merlin was still lost in thought when Arthur arrived, sword and gauntlets being dumped on the table with a loud clang that startled Merlin, nearly causing him to topple off the windowsill where he had been perched.  
  
“Merlin? What are you doing back? I thought you were supposed to be working with Gaius all afternoon?”  
  
“I was with Gaius for a little bit. Mum was there as well.” Merlin took a deep breath and decided to just get it over with. “Gaius had the results of the tests that he did.”  
  
Merlin didn’t think that he’d ever seen Arthur move that fast. One minute he was by the table, the next he was across the room and on his knees in front of Merlin.  
  
“And? What is it? You’re not dying are you?”  
  
“No, I’m not dying Arthur.” It was now or never, “I’m pregnant Arthur.”  
  
There was no response but then Merlin didn’t know what kind of response he had been expecting. Had he been expecting a response at all? This wasn’t exactly what Arthur had signed up for. It certainly wasn’t what Merlin had signed up for. At the back of his mind he supposed that Uther would be happy, provided that Merlin carried to term and the baby was a boy then the Pendragon line was guaranteed and a Pendragon would rule Camelot after Arthur’s death. Finally raising his head, Merlin looked Arthur in the eye, cataloguing the different emotions that he could see there. There was the expected shock and surprise but there was also … hope? and several other emotions that Merlin couldn’t quite identify.  
  
“So, you’re not dying. You’re pregnant.”  
  
“Yes, I’m pregnant. Gaius thinks that I’m about six weeks or so and that’s what has been causing the nausea, the throwing up and the tiredness. Apparently, it’s all perfectly normal.”  
  
“Throwing up everything you eat is not perfectly normal,” Arthur muttered unhappily. “If you lose any more weight we’ll lose you if you turn sideways.”  
  
There was a long pause during which Merlin was very aware that Arthur hadn’t actually reacted to the news of the pregnancy itself.  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
The words were so out of the blue and so quietly spoken that Merlin was sure that he had misheard them or had imagined them. One look at Arthur told him that that definitely wasn’t the case and Merlin couldn’t help but be confused.  
  
“What?”  
  
“I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”  
  
Merlin was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable with an apologetic Arthur kneeling at his feet. “I don’t understand, why are you apologising?”  
  
“Because all of this is all my fault! How can you not see that?” Arthur jumped up at this point and paced up and down in front of the window seat, gesticulating as he spoke. “I was the one who brought up that stupid conversation we had when we were children and I was the one who proposed to you. I promised you that we would be married in name only yet on our wedding night we were forced to consummate the marriage. Then to top it all off, I managed to impregnate you!”  
  
“Where are you going with this Arthur?” Merlin was doing his level best to stay calm and collected, if only because there was little point in both of them getting worked up.  
  
His tone seemed to calm Arthur down and he stopped pacing, slumping against the wall as he fiddled with his belt. “I just don’t understand why you haven’t run away screaming. Why you didn’t run six weeks ago. You’re my closest friend Merlin, you have been since you were born but surely that friendship stops somewhere? I mean, how many people would find themselves pregnant by their friend, somebody that they don’t love with anything more than friendship and react as calmly as you have done?”  
  
“I can assure you that I’m nowhere near as calm as I look. And you’re right, there are very few people who would do this for their friends.”  
  
“So why are you doing it?”  
  
This was it. This was the moment of truth. The moment where Merlin would either reveal that he was doing this because he was in love with Arthur and had been for a long time or the moment where he continued to remain silent. If he was honest with himself, he knew that keeping quiet wasn’t an option. He was going to have to tell Arthur how he felt.  
  
“Merlin? Why are you doing this?”  
  
“I’m going to tell you but I need you to promise me that you will listen to everything that I’m about to tell you.”  
  
“Merlin, you’re starting to worry me and you know that I don’t like being worried. Will you just spit it out?”  
  
“Fine. You’re right, there are very few people who would do this for their friends and I’m not one of them. I didn’t do this because of our friendship.” Seeing the hurt flash across Arthur’s face, Merlin pressed on hurriedly. “I agreed to do this because I felt, _I feel_ , more than friendship for you, I have done for a long time. When I offered to do this all those years ago it was out of friendship but that friendship developed into something more. It … it developed into love.”  
  
There was still no response from Arthur so Merlin just ploughed on regardless, more than aware that he was going to end up babbling sooner rather than later. “I mean, I’ve probably been in love with you since I was about 15, maybe even younger. I used to dream about what it would be like to be married to you and even though what I agreed to wasn’t anything like what I had dreamed of, I still agreed because I love you. I suppose the worst thing about all of this is that I love you and I don’t actually have a problem with being pregnant, or at least I don’t think I will once I’ve gotten used to it, but you aren’t in love with me and the only reason you had sex with me and thus the only reason that I’ve ended up pregnant is because you were forced to.”  
  
“Merlin. You need to shut up now.”  
  
Merlin did exactly that, concerned that his little confession had completely destroyed his life-long friendship with Arthur in a matter of minutes. Now his mind was whirring with hastily made plans as to what he was going to do now. It had been bad enough being married to Arthur when the blond hadn’t known that Merlin was in love with him. Now that Arthur knew it would be interminable. But then what other option did he have now? He could hardly leave Camelot when he was pregnant with what could potentially be the next heir. Merlin was drawn from his thoughts by Arthur moving next to him but this wasn’t the angry storm-out that Merlin had been expecting. Instead, Arthur’s movements were calm and controlled as he rose to his knees next to Merlin and his hands moved to frame Merlin’s face, ensuring that he _had_ to look at Arthur.  
  
“Say it again Merlin. I need to hear you say it again.”  
  
Merlin knew he was far from stupid but he was a little confused. “I don’t understand. Say what again?”  
  
“ _Mer_ lin. Stop being an idiot. What did you just confess to me?”  
  
“That I’m in love with you.”  
  
Merlin didn’t manage to say anything else because, before he could do so, Arthur’s lips were on his and any though processes that weren’t directly related to the kiss halted immediately. This kiss was nothing like the brief, perfunctory kisses that they had exchanged during their wedding and on occasion since then. This kiss was a hundred times better than any dream Merlin had had because this was real, Arthur was actually kissing him. It was that thought more than anything, although the ability to breathe was becoming a necessity, that made Merlin pull back.  
  
“You’re kissing me. Why are you kissing me?”  
  
“Should I be worried that I let you sit in on council meetings? Yes, I was kissing you and I would like to kiss you again. As for why. You’re not the only person who is secretly in love in this relationship.” Seeing that Merlin was going to try and talk, Arthur reached up and covered his lips. “I listened while you talked, now it’s your turn to listen.”  
  
“I realised that I felt more than friendship for you when I started training with the knights. All of the other lads were fantasising about Bess or Fanny and I was fantasising about you. I realised I was in love with you when I was sixteen. I never forgot that conversation we had about getting married so when my father brought up the subject, I made sure that he specifically said ‘spouse’ and not ‘wife’. When you agreed to marry me I felt guilty that I was forcing you to marry me when you didn’t love me that way but equally I was just happy that you had agreed to marry me. My heart sank when they said we had to have sex and prove it wasn’t a sham marriage; I never wanted to force you into something like that.”  
  
“So we’ve both …”  
  
“We’ve both been in love with each other and thinking that the other only feels friendship.”  
  
“What do we do now then?”  
  
“What do you mean what do we do? Surely it’s obvious? We’ve both admitted that we’re in love with each other and we wanted to be married to each other. I suggest that we start living this marriage how we’ve always wanted to. As a real married couple who are very much in love with each other.”  
  
Merlin smiled. “A real married couple. I do like the sound of that.”  
  
“So do I.” Arthur was creeping closer again. “I want to be able to cuddle you on a night not lay at the very edge of opposite sides of the bed. I want to be able to explore your body and make love to you. Without an audience.” Arthur was even closer now, pressing kisses to the exposed parts of Merlin’s skin that he could reach. “I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want.”  
  
“I have no complaints with that.” Merlin shuddered as Arthur’s teeth grazed over a particularly sensitive patch of skin. “No complaints at all.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
There were no words exchanged for a while, both of them indulging in the fact that they could now kiss without having to hide their emotions. The kisses that they now shared couldn’t have been more different from the ones that they had shared while keeping up their charade. These kisses were exploratory. Starting off chaste and gradually becoming more passionate as they became more confident and discovered what each other liked. No longer satisfied with the awkward positioning due to Merlin still being sat on the windowseat and Arthur kneeling, Arthur had just pulled Merlin down into his lap when there was a knock on the door accompanied by the voice of George, Arthur’s (and thus Merlin’s) manservant, announcing that he had brought dinner. Neither of them was happy with the interruption but Arthur’s stomach was growling and he was never in a good mood if he was hungry and Arthur was also insistent that, given Merlin’s newly discovered pregnancy, Merlin actually eat something. Once George entered and laid the food out before disappearing, it became apparent that Hunith had ordered the food herself, choosing food that would satisfy Arthur after training but that was equally unlikely to cause issues for Merlin.  
  
Their dinner was eaten mostly in silence, Arthur tearing into his food, ravenous as always after training, and Merlin trying to eat slowly and steadily, sick of throwing up already today. Despite the fact that they had got the awkward confessions of love out of the way, the atmosphere was still a little bit tense and awkward, as though neither of them really knew what to say. Finally, when they had both eaten their fill and they could no longer put off any further conversation, Arthur broke the silence.  
  
“So, you’re pregnant?”  
  
Merlin nodded, smiling rather self-deprecatingly. “Not what you were expecting me to say?”  
  
“Not really no considering, you know, you’re definitely not a woman.”  
  
There was no disgust on Arthur’s face, only shock and that couldn’t help but give Merlin a bit of hope that this wasn’t the end of their relationship.  
  
“Dare I ask how you managed to get pregnant? You know, considering that you’re a man and we only had sex that one time.”  
  
“Well it could be that you’re a Pendragon and you have magical sperm or it could be the fact that I’m magical.”  
  
“And that’s how you’re pregnant? Your magic?”  
  
“Gaius seems to think so. It’s never happened before so he isn’t completely certain and isn’t sure how it’s happened. He and mum are fairly positive that I’m pregnant.” Merlin paused when, once again, he didn’t get the response that he was expecting. Namely, Arthur didn’t run away screaming. “Why aren’t you running away screaming?”  
  
“Why would I be?”  
  
“Because your very male husband has just told you that he’s weird enough to be able to get pregnant.”  
  
“As far as I’m concerned, the fact that you’re pregnant can’t be anything other than a good thing. My father was hardly overjoyed that I married you, not only because you weren’t a princess who would bring lots of money and alliances but also because you were male and there would be no more scions of the Pendragon line.”  
  
“But…”  
  
“Father may have allowed us to get married but in all probability, he would have made me sleep with some woman to get her pregnant. This is so much better. Can you just imagine it? A child that’s a combination of the two of us.”  
  
A small smile tugged at the corners of Merlin’s mouth. The idea of being pregnant was still more than a little terrifying but Merlin couldn’t deny that he liked the idea of a child that was a combination of he and Arthur.  
  
“See! You can’t deny that you like the idea.”  
  
Merlin couldn’t help but think that maybe this had all gone too well, that it had been too easy. He kept waiting for Arthur to run away screaming. But then again, maybe they had already had their angst with both of them being in love with the other and not knowing it for the last few years. Besides, there was still plenty of time for Arthur to go running off screaming; after all, they were only six weeks into the pregnancy.  
  
That evening, their nightly routine couldn’t have been more different to usual. Normally, they would change into their nightclothes separately behind the screen in the corner of the room and would then go to sleep on opposite sides of the bed, hugging the edges as closely as they could. Tonight, Arthur insisted on undressing and dressing Merlin himself; the actions interspersed with a multitude of kisses. Merlin’s stomach came in for a lot of attention, something that made Merlin giggle at the tickling sensation.  
  
“When will you start showing?”  
  
“I don’t know. Mum could probably give me an idea.”  
  
“I can’t wait to see you pregnant with a big bump. It’ll be good for you to stop throwing up.”  
  
When they finally made it into bed, Merlin found himself tugged back against Arthur’s chest. Arthur, radiating heat like a furnace, wrapped himself around Merlin like a cocoon, one hand firmly pressed against Merlin’s still flat stomach. They were both drifting off to sleep when Merlin remembered one of his earlier worries.  
  
“Arthur, what are we going to tell your father?”  
  
“Shit.”

 

~*~

  
“What do you mean you can’t tell me what to expect? You’re the Court Physician Uncle Gaius!”  
  
“Merlin, your situation is completely unprecedented. I can give you vague ideas based on what a woman could expect during her pregnancy but I can’t tell you anything specific to your situation.”  
  
Merlin’s ire diminished and he visibly deflated. “But if you can’t tell me what to expect then who can?”  
  
“I’ve written to an old friend of mine, Alice, who has agreed to come back to Camelot for the duration of your pregnancy. You will have a midwife of course, as well as your mother and I, but Alice was always far more proficient than I with magic. We don’t know what is going to happen so having Alice around in addition to the midwife will make both myself and your mother feel better.”  
  
“Isn’t that too dangerous for her though? I mean, if Alice has magic? I’m still amazed that Uther hasn’t had me cast out for becoming pregnant. If he even suspects that she has magic … I don’t want to be responsible for it.”  
  
“Uther hasn’t cast you out for being pregnant because he knows that he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if he tried to do so. I made sure to remind him of that fact.” Gaius ignored Merlin’s look of curiosity. “Never you mind my boy, just know that Alice will be perfectly safe here and that we will ensure that you and Arthur have a perfectly healthy baby.”  
  
Merlin smiled faintly. “Thank you Gaius, I appreciate it. I’m sorry that I blew up at you.”  
  
“Don’t you worry about that. Let’s just put it down to … um, pregnancy hormones?” Gaius looked awkward at the words that had just left his mouth and Merlin wasn’t much better.  
  
“Yes, um, let’s. I think, um, Arthur’s expecting me. Thanks Gaius.” Merlin didn’t bother to wait for an answer, he simply fled the room. He was dreading the rest of the pregnancy filled with awkward conversations like this.

 

(~*~)

  
“Owain, where are you going?” Arthur’s brow furrowed as he saw one of his senior knights heading in the direction of the kitchens. Somewhere that he definitely wasn’t supposed to be. He was supposed to be with Merlin, ensuring that nothing happened to him while Arthur couldn’t be with him. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Merlin right now?”  
  
“Well yes, but I think the cravings have finally hit and Merlin requested a rather awkward combination. We did try and get the page to understand it but well, he couldn’t and Fanny can’t read so that wasn’t an option. I was the only one who could remember it all.”  
  
“What exactly is it that my husband has asked for Owain?” Arthur was filled with both curiosity and trepidation.  
  
“I really don’t think you want to know Sire.”  
  
“Surely it can’t be that bad. You don’t seem to have any problem with it.”  
  
“I’ve got three older sisters Sire; I’ve developed a strong stomach where pregnancy cravings are concerned.”  
  
Despite his words, Owain pulled a face at the thought of what Merlin had requested. This was a senior knight of Camelot. He had seen horrific sights in battle and if a simple craving had him looking like that … well, Arthur really didn’t want to know.

 

(~*~)

  
“I’m getting fat!” Merlin practically wailed as he carried on trying to do up his trousers even though he knew it was futile. He’d been attempting to do them up for the last ten minutes after all.  
  
Arthur did his best to supress his smile from where he still lay in bed, shamelessly watching his husband dress and feeling thoroughly pleased with himself at the fact that he had managed to persuade Merlin to sleep naked. It took him a few minutes to respond, distracted by Merlin’s new shape, but he did so knowing that if he didn’t say anything reassuring then Merlin would do everything in his power to make Arthur’s life problematic.  
  
“You’re not getting fat Merlin, you’re pregnant!”  
  
“That’s not the point Arthur! My trousers won’t fasten! I’m getting fat!”  
  
Rolling his eyes (and being as careful as he could to ensure that Merlin didn’t see him doing so), Arthur threw back the blankets and walked over to Merlin, disregarding the fact that he was naked and smirking at the little squeak of surprise that Merlin gave when he realised Arthur wasn’t going to put any pants on. Arthur plastered himself against Merlin’s back, wrapping his arms tightly around Merlin’s form and making sure that, in doing so, one of his hands curled around the now very prominent bump.  
  
“You’re not getting fat. You couldn’t be fat if you tried Merlin; you’re a stick insect with a bump. You’re pregnant. You knew that this was going to happen. That isn’t fat, it’s our baby.” As he spoke, Arthur dropped kisses over any part of Merlin’s skin that he could reach.  
  
“Everybody’s going to stare at me as though I’m even more of a freak. Can I just stay in our rooms until I have to give birth?”  
  
“You’re not a freak Merlin. For the last time, you’re pregnant. That’s an amazing thing and everybody in Camelot is delighted. Okay, maybe not my father but he’ll come around to the idea. Especially if we end up with another heir to carry on the Pendragon line. And no, you can’t just stay in our rooms until you give birth. Morgana arrives next week and I’m not dealing with her by myself. I really don’t know how Gwaine puts up with her.”  
  
Merlin snorted at the age old complaint and Arthur gave an inaudible sigh of relief. Hopefully that was crisis averted. If things had gotten worse then there was a distinct possibility that Merlin might have become tearful and Arthur really hated it when Merlin started to cry. He hugged Merlin tighter for a minute before pressing a kiss to that oh so tempting spot at the nape of Merlin’s neck before turning Merlin around to face him, the bump preventing them from getting as close as they might have liked.  
  
“I’ll get the kitchens to send up some more breakfast and then I’ll send a maid for your mum and the seamstress. They’ll be able to get something sorted out for you; it’ll probably be more comfortable than what you’re wearing at the moment anyway.”  
  
“I don’t deserve you.”  
  
Arthur smiled softly and leant in, pressing kisses to Merlin’s forehead, his cheekbones and then his lips. “Yes, you really do.”  


(~*~)

  
“What’s brought this on Merlin?”  
  
Merlin had been more affectionate that normal for the last day or so for some inexplicable reason. Not that Arthur was complaining. In fact it made a pleasant change from the fact that, more recently, every single time he had tried to touch Merlin he had had his hand slapped away and his head bitten off. When Merlin didn’t respond, Arthur didn’t push the matter in case it caused Merlin to slip back into his previous mood. Instead, he pulled Merlin onto his lap, pushing away the paperwork that he had been working on and wrapping his arms around Merlin, bump and all.  
  
Arthur wasn’t completely certain what he had been expecting from Merlin but he supposed that he had assumed Merlin had just wanted a bit of a cuddle and maybe a few kisses but nothing more than that. In the last few weeks, Arthur’s attempts at anything more than that had been unceremoniously shot down in flames. With that being the case, after a few minutes Arthur reached around Merlin for the papers that he had been reading. Predictably, the minute that Arthur picked up and started reading the papers, was the moment that Merlin was prompted into action.  
  
It wasn’t much to start with, but it was enough to distract Arthur from the task at hand. First, Merlin started playing with the hair at the nape of Arthur’s neck; feathering his fingers through it, stroking the skin at the top of Arthur’s spine and occasionally giving the golden strands a gentle tug. Arthur didn’t have a problem with any of Merlin’s actions or rather he couldn’t have any problems if he didn’t have work to do. Merlin’s actions had a 100% success rate when Arthur was wound up and tense; they relaxed him and, on at least one occasion, had actually sent Arthur to sleep. So, they were not really the best things that Merlin could do.  
  
All too soon however, it became all too clear that a bit of cuddling and nuzzling wasn’t going to be enough for Merlin. He was obviously in the mood for more. And Arthur was more than happy to indulge him. They moved to trading kisses and the papers that Arthur had been trying to read tumbled to the ground as Arthur abandoned them in favour of spearing a hand through Merlin’s hair. Merlin still wasn’t satisfied though, manoeuvring himself with even less grace than normal so that he was straddling Arthur’s lap, nipping at Arthur’s Adam’s apple and the tendons in his neck even as he fumbled with Arthur’s clothing. Regardless of how much he wanted to continue, Arthur took Merlin’s wrists in hand in an attempt to halt him, even temporarily.  
  
“Are you sure this is a good idea? Is it safe for the baby? I mean, has Gaius said this is okay?”  
  
“No, Gaius hasn’t said it’s okay,” Merlin tightened his thighs around Arthur’s hips as the other man tried to pull away. “But, Alice said it was perfectly safe.”  
  
Well, Arthur was happy enough with that. The arrival of Alice had been a godsend because Merlin wasn’t quite as mortified asking her the questions that he would never have asked Gaius. Then something struck Arthur.  
  
“Merlin, we can’t. We haven’t got any oil.”  
  
A vial of oil appeared in Arthur’s line of sight and it would appear that Merlin had come to find Arthur with the express intent of seducing him. Now Arthur really didn’t have any complaints. Surging up, he kissed Merlin passionately at the same time as shifting Merlin’s weight so that he could move him from Arthur’s lap onto the council table. Knowing that a) they didn’t have a huge amount of time before Arthur’s meeting started and b) the doors weren’t locked, Arthur only bothered to divest them of the clothing necessary to make this work, namely Merlin’s trousers. As for himself, Arthur simply unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his trousers.  
  
Coating his fingers with oil, Arthur fingered Merlin open, curling and scissoring his fingers in Merlin’s tight heat as he pressed kisses and teasing nips upon whatever skin he could reach. It was a good job that they didn’t have much time because Arthur honestly didn’t think that either of them was going to last long considering how long it had been since they last did this. Satisfied that Merlin was suitably prepared, Arthur removed his fingers in order to slick his own cock with oil, ignoring Merlin’s whine of disappointment as he did so.  
  
“Alice might have said it was safe for us to have sex but I’m not taking chances. If we’re doing this, you’re going to ride me.”  
  
Judging by his eagerness, Merlin had no complaints and, once Merlin was astride his lap and steadily riding his cock, Arthur definitely didn’t. Brushing his thumbs along the top of Merlin’s thighs, Arthur shoved Merlin’s tunic up so that it rested on top of the baby bump, relishing the sight of Merlin looking like this. He’d always loved the way Merlin looked, skinny as a rake with his absolutely ridiculous ears but Arthur couldn’t deny that Merlin was gorgeous like this, with a bit more meat on his bones and, as cliché as it was, glowing with good health.  
  
As Arthur had predicted, it didn’t take either of them long to reach completion, muffling the sounds of their orgasm in each other’s shoulders. Cursing the fact that they were in the council chambers and not the privacy of their own chambers, Arthur cleaned them both off as best as he could with the blasted neckerchief that Merlin still insisted on wearing all of the time, despite Merlin’s protestations at Arthur’s usage of it. Sadly, there was nothing that he could do about the smell of sex in the air and he just had to hope that nobody would comment on it. No sooner had Arthur buttoned his trousers and re-buckled his belt than the door swung open to reveal Leon, obviously early, as always, for the meeting. Arthur’s second-in-command immediately blushed, convinced that he had walked in on something inappropriate. If only he knew how right he was. Not that Arthur or Merlin was going to admit how close he had been to walking in on them.  
  
Any other time, Merlin would be mortified that they had come so close to being caught out, especially by Leon, but it would seem that he was nothing of the sort. He was calm and collected as he finished setting his clothes to rights before shamelessly telling Leon that Arthur had been feeling the baby kick without batting an eyelid. Arthur wasn’t completely convinced that his second had believed them but, considering that the truth was far worse, he was more than happy when Leon accepted the blatant lie. Helping Merlin off the council table, Arthur actually blushed at the filth, which comprised what Merlin wanted later that evening, being whispered in his ear. Arthur hadn’t spared a thought for this side of pregnancy but he was going to take advantage as much as he could before Merlin decided that he couldn’t stand Arthur’s touch again.  
  
This council meeting couldn’t go fast enough.

 

(~*~)

  
“Merlin, what on earth are you doing? Get down from there this instant!” Arthur was across the room in three strides, hands on Merlin’s hips to steady him until he had climbed down from his precarious perch on a chair. The minute that Merlin had his feet safely on the flagstones, Arthur spun him around and started berating him.  
  
“How did you think that was a good idea? I thought you’d grown out of being stupid. You’re nearly eight months pregnant, you can’t go climbing everywhere without thinking about things. It’s too dangerous. Why didn’t you call for a servant? Why didn’t you ask Leon or Owain to do it for you? Whatever … _it_ … was.”  
  
“I can’t ask Leon or Owain to help me with things like that. It’s bad enough that you’ve got them guarding me all the time; Leon’s your second-in-command for goodness sake. I’m sure he’s got more important things to be doing than standing outside the door to our chambers just in case something happens to me.”  
  
“Of course he hasn’t got more important things to be doing. You’re my husband and that automatically makes you important. Now, what was so important that you had to stand on a chair and risk falling off it?”  
  
“Our baby could be born in a month and we haven’t got anything. Our chambers are a mess and I don’t think the maid has been dusting on top of the wardrobe. We can’t bring a baby up in here. We haven’t got a crib or clothes or a wet nurse. Oh god, you don’t think I’m going to be able to breast feed do you? I mean, it’s bad enough that I’m a man who can get pregnant but … not that it’s bad that I’m pregnant. You know that. I love that I’m pregnant with our child. Most of the time, nearly all of the time, all the time that your child isn’t kicking me in the kidneys. But I’m a big enough freak for being able to get pregnant, I don’t need to be an even bigger one because I can breast feed as well. And now I’m babbling.”  
  
Arthur couldn’t help it. He laughed. This was just so typically Merlin. Only he would put himself, and their baby, at risk for something as ridiculous as dusting on top of the wardrobe. He probably hadn’t even thought about how risky it could be. After all, for all of Merlin’s complaining that he was the size of a small castle, he hadn’t comprehended that the changing shape of his body to accommodate their baby had also changed his centre of gravity as well.  
  
“Yes, you’re babbling and no, you’re not a freak. Merlin, you’re pregnant and that’s an amazing thing, not something to be ashamed of. Everybody in Camelot is thrilled for you, thrilled for us, and they can’t wait for our baby to be born. If it will make you feel better then we will talk to Alice about breast feeding. We can talk to your mum about a wet nurse and, if I know Hunith, she’ll have already started stockpiling baby clothes as will Alice.” Arthur shifted his hands so that his thumbs were brushing Merlin’s cheekbones. “I know that we’re not very prepared at the moment but that can change. We’ll talk to your mum and Alice and I’ll have a word with the maids and make sure that our rooms are spotless. How does that sound?”  
  
Merlin gave a half smile and nodded. “That sounds good. Thank you Arthur.”  
  
It was as though Arthur’s reassurance had caused all of Merlin’s stress to disappear and with it, his ability to keep himself upright. He sagged into Arthur’s body, eyes half-lidded and the only thing that stopped Arthur panicking was the fact that Merlin was nuzzling his nose into the skin above Arthur’s collarbone.  
  
“Have you stopped at all since I left this morning?” Arthur knew what the answer would be even before it came. Merlin’s reluctance to answer made the answer obvious, and Arthur did his best not to show his frustration. “Bed then, you and the baby need a nap. And yes, I’ll stay with you.”  
  
Arthur allowed himself to be pulled over to the bed, knowing that Merlin would put up less of a fuss about having a nap in the middle of the day if Arthur was there with him. In an attempt to be somewhat comfortable, he kicked off his boots and lay back on top of the covers. Merlin wasn’t happy with that though. He prodded Arthur until he was happy with where he was situated in the bed but that wasn’t quite enough. To Arthur’s amusement, Merlin then proceeded to fuss around with more blankets and pillows than Arthur was sure they normally had in their bed, fluffing the pillows and tugging the blankets so that they were both firmly tucked in. Only then, when he was completely satisfied, did he flop down against Arthur’s chest as best as he could with a little contented sigh, snuggling as close as he possibly could. Arthur waited as long as he could but he couldn’t restrain himself for very long, even if he knew that he would end up being hit for it.  
  
“Merlin … are you nesting?!”

 

~*~

  
A couple of weeks into Merlin’s eighth month of pregnancy, there was an incident that kicked Arthur’s overprotective tendencies into overdrive. Despite his rapidly advancing due date, Merlin insisted on attending council meetings stating that he was only pregnant, not fatally wounded. As he was negotiating the steps of the main staircase down to the throne room he lost his balance, flailing his arms in an attempt to regain his centre of gravity and not take a tumble. His attempts weren’t successful but, luckily, Leon and Owain were walking on either side of him providing an escort that Arthur trusted implicitly and, with lightning quick reflexes, they leapt forward to steady him. Suffice to say, Merlin failed to attend that council meeting as did Arthur. Terrified at the prospect of losing his husband and his unborn child, Arthur put his foot down. Merlin was confined to their chambers and any meetings that he needed to be part of would be carried out in said chambers. In addition, Arthur would speak to his father and do his best to ensure that he didn’t have to leave Camelot at all for the remainder of Merlin’s pregnancy.  
  
Of course, because Merlin was Merlin, just over six weeks later he found himself in labour on the day that Arthur had left Camelot at dawn in order to visit the outposts. Merlin had had back pains for the last couple of days but, not wanting to be fussed over any more than he had been, he had simply dismissed it as the fact that he was nine months pregnant. Merlin had continued to sleep after Arthur’s early departure only to wake up several hours later to sodden sheets and the realisation that the back pain had actually been an early sign of labour. He had sent a page running for his mother, Gaius and Alice, trusting that they would send the lad on to the midwife while they came to him. He then called for Owain, knowing that Arthur would have left the senior knight stationed outside their chamber doors; he always did whenever Arthur was forced to leave Camelot and Leon wasn’t available, even for a few hours. Somebody needed to head to the outposts to fetch Arthur back.  
  
By the time that Arthur made it back, nearly trampling a few inhabitants of the lower town in his hurry to get to his husband, Merlin had been in labour for over six hours and the corridor outside their chambers was seeing more traffic than usual, with people trying to indulge their curiosity. When Arthur rounded the corner at a run, cloak flying out behind him and Leon barely a step behind him, Uther had made an appearance during a brief lull between meetings. Arthur barely spared the congregated people a glance before diving for the closed doors to the chambers that he shared with Merlin only to find his way blocked by his father.  
  
“Arthur, where on earth do you think you’re going?”  
  
“Where do you think I’m going Father?” Arthur’s disdain for his father was perfectly clear, “I’m going to be with my husband while he gives birth to _our child_.”  
  
Arthur’s attempts to get into the chambers that he shared with Merlin were thwarted once more by Uther who stepped forward and held an arm against Arthur’s chest. “You can’t go in there Arthur, it simply isn’t done. The only people who can be inside are Gaius, Hunith, the midwife and that woman they brought with them; you don’t need to be in there. It’s not the done thing.”  
  
“I don’t care if it’s the done thing or not _Father_ ,” Arthur hissed out, “my husband is in labour and the only thing that will stop me from being in there with him is if Merlin doesn’t want me in there.”  
  
“Whether he wants you in there or not is beside the point Arthur, you cannot be in there while he is giving birth. You should have carried on with your inspection of the outposts. Why, when your mother was in labour with you, I was down in Tintagel taking part in negotiations with Gorlois. You were already five hours old by the time I returned to Camelot.”  
  
“I don’t know if you’ve realised Father, but I am trying to do things differently to you. I’m not going to make the same mistakes.” At the point when Arthur broke off to take a breath, the door opened to reveal Hunith.  
  
“Your Highness, if you would be so kind as to move out of the doorway.” Somewhat dumbfounded, Uther moved without a word, something that Arthur knew Leon was smiling at behind him. “Arthur, if you’d like to come with me, Merlin’s been asking for you.”  
  
Arthur resisted the urge to smirk at his father and slipped through the gap in the door, Hunith shutting the door behind them. The instant that he was inside, he threw off his cloak and stripped out of his armour as quickly as possible, leaving him in just his tunic, trousers and boots. That done, he scrambled over to the bed, grabbing one of Merlin’s flailing hands and wincing as his bones felt as though they were being ground into dust. He yelped as Merlin’s other hand fisted itself into his tunic, pulling him down so that their faces were barely inches from each other.  
  
“I swear, we are never ever having sex again if you managed to do this to me the first time.”

 

(~*~)

  
“Do you think you could be persuaded to have another one?”  
  
At Arthur’s words, Merlin looked blearily up at where Arthur was cradling their son, looking completely and utterly enamoured with the child. They had managed to turf out anybody who had been in their chambers, the doting grandparents being the hardest to evict, so it was just the two new parents and their newborn son. “What did you just say?”  
  
“I asked if you would be willing to have another baby. It was miserable growing up as an only child until you came along and, however much we would try to avoid it, being a child of Royal blood is a lonely existence and I don’t want our child to suffer that. So, I was wondering if you would be willing to carry another child. If you don’t want to that’s fine but…”  
  
“Arthur, I only gave birth to our son less than twelve hours ago. Do you think we can wait a bit longer before we discuss the next one? I’m not saying no just…”  
  
Whatever else Merlin was going to say was cut off as Arthur leant in and kissed him, taking care not to crush the baby in between them. “I still love that way of shutting you up. I don’t think it’s ever going to grow old. I know what you’re trying to say and that’s fine. I just wanted to let you know that I want to have more children with you. You need more sleep. Just let me put Bran in his crib and you can get some more sleep.”  
  
Arthur had barely shifted more than a few inches before Merlin’s hand was entangled in his sleeve. “Wait! Just, I know we shouldn’t do it every night, we probably shouldn’t do it at all but can he sleep with us? Just for tonight. I don’t really want to let him out of my sight.”  
  
Merlin watched Arthur’s face soften even more (Bran was only twelve hours old and Arthur had already perfected the role of doting father) and laid their son down next to Merlin, lying down himself to cocoon the child in between them. He wanted to stay awake for longer, wanted to talk to Arthur properly without people hovering around them, wanted to apologise for everything that he had said during labour, wanted to apologise for the amount of objects that he had broken when his magic went haywire but before he could do any of that, he found his eyes sliding shut and before he knew it, he was asleep. He didn’t even realise when Arthur shifted closer to him, laying an arm across Merlin’s hip as he pressed soft kisses first to Bran’s forehead and then Merlin’s.  
  
 **Four years later…**  
  
“But Daddy, I don’t want to go with Geoffrey. He’s boring. I want to play with my sword and my pony.”  
  
Merlin couldn’t help but smile even if he made sure that Bran couldn’t see him. Bran might be the perfect combination of both he and Arthur as far as looks were concerned but where personality was concerned, Bran was very much Arthur’s child. Still, Merlin had done his very best to ensure that Bran wasn’t a spoilt brat. They had at least had plenty of support from Hunith while they had been very much feeling their way as they raised their son. One thing that Arthur had been dead set upon, and Merlin had agreed with him, was that Bran wouldn’t be handed off to a nanny. Instead, Bran was taken to council meetings and the library or anywhere his parents were. If all else failed, Hunith was always on hand to play the doting grandmother and, surprisingly, Leon proved to be a favoured babysitter.  
  
“You can do both of those things this afternoon. Dad has said that we can go for a ride and a picnic once he’s finished his meetings with the council.”  
  
That little bit of knowledge placated Bran and, although still reluctant about going to his lessons, he babbled happily about the upcoming afternoon all the way to meet Geoffrey. He was so excited about Arthur taking an afternoon away from Camelot to spend time with him, although both Arthur and Merlin made sure that it was a regular occurrence. This afternoon was actually Merlin’s idea, he had simply suggested it to Arthur who had made it happen. After all, Merlin had his own reasons for wanting them to be out of the castle that afternoon. He had news for both his husband and his son.  
  
After all, a secret visit to Alice having confirmed it, Merlin knew that in just seven months there would be another addition to their little family and to the Pendragon line.


End file.
